Redemption By Blood
by JoeyWheelerFanatic
Summary: Zutara fic. Set during The Western Air Temple. Following the GAang to the temple, he has a unpleasant confrontation from a certain angry waterbender... This is better than it sounds . Review and alert plz. Rated T for now due to blood and slight violence


**Redemption By Blood**

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Zuko, who now betrayed his own country for the sake of the world, was conflicted once again. He is afraid of making another wrong decision in his first sixteen young years of his life. He is currently on his way to the Avatar's group of friends, about to beg for their forgiveness and for their alliance. His face scrunched up in regret and anguish, remembering what he's done to his uncle.

'_How am I gonna convince these people I'm on their side!_' Those words kept repeating in his head while he was on the way to the section of the Western Air Temple where the Avatar and his friends where staying. '_I probably won't after all the things I've done to them, especially to her…_'

He was brought out of thought when he heard low humming, coming from a little farther down the path of his direction. He picked up the pace of his walking to where to sound came from. He heard the sound of moving water as he drew nearer to the direction of the humming. He looked around a little bit until he saw a small spring with a waterfall behind some large bushes. When he caught sight of who was immersed in the water he felt his blood run cold and had a look of worry and embarrassment.

He caught sight of the Avatar's waterbending friend, taking a bath in the pond behind a row of bushes. '_It's the Water Tribe girl, the one who I literally betrayed. I forgot her name…_'. He was embarrassed in more ways than one right now. Not only was she entirely naked in the water, he also forgot her name! '_Yea but it's not like she said it to me straight out, how should I know it?_'.

Her humming had a sad tune, a tune that sounded as if she lost someone dear to her or someone who has betrayed her. Zuko looked at her sorrowfully. He knew her sad singing maybe had to do with him. '_I messed up big time, didn't I?_' Then she started to waterbend to the rhythm of her hum. If Zuko weren't embarrassed or remorseful at the moment he would notice the beauty in this act more. But all that was in his mind now was to get away before getting caught. If he did get caught he knew she wouldn't show him mercy.

He decided he should come through this direction later, after she has finished her bath. It was the only way he could get to the temple. If only the environment wasn't working against him at the moment. While stepping away from the site he accidentally stepped on a large twig on the ground. He cringed at the noise, fearing he had been caught. His fears never lied to him, this time was no exception. He didn't hear any more of the humming but instead heard a large amount of water swooshing back and forth until it stopped completely. He then sprinted towards the direction he came from.

If it was from bad luck or misfortune, like he usually has, he did not know, because all of the sudden his body stopped moving where he stood and stiffened quickly. It felt as if an other-worldly force or a spirit has taken control of his body, wanting him to get caught where he stood as a punishment for all his past crimes. He grunted, trying to move his body, with no luck. '_What's happening to me?!_' He closed his eyes as his body then moved on its own, going into a kneeling position on the ground and his arms being brought behind his back. He then heard footsteps behind him. He began to worry, swallowing a lump in his throat and sweating. If it was who he thought it was then he knew he was done for.

"You deserve to be like this, after all the things you've done…". He opened his eyes quickly in shock at the voice. "What are you doing here, spying on me taking a bathf? Are you that bad that you have to sneak on girls taking baths?!" His body just stayed there in place, letting him take her words of punishment. "You're sick, sick for spying on me and sick for even thinking of showing your face to me again! You're not a Prince, you're a backstabbing piece of scum!"

The malice in her words broke a nerve in him. He was one step away from tearing, and it probably wouldn't be long until he did. Her words hit him emotionally, letting regret fully take over him. She walked around him and then stood right in front of him. "Hmph, you look pathetic right now, but I like you like this…. You deserve to be like this anyways." She lifted his face up by the chin, taking in his anguished features. She noticed somewhat of a change in him, a good one, but then thought of it as just another one of his tricks. She finally decided to let go of the grip on his blood. She herself was getting a bit exhausted by it. Once she let go Zuko fell to the floor with an ungraceful thud.

Zuko was surprised that his body was in his control again. '_Wha-what? How did this happen? Does she have anything to do with it?_' He knew somehow that she had to do with his temporary immobility. He coughed and still laid there where he was dropped. He soon expected the girl to continue with her scolding insults, which she did.

"Why did you follow us again?! What do you have to gain in trying to capture Aang **again**?! You're just a pest in our way for making the world a better place for ALL nations! Your father is the cause for every evil inflicted on my nation and the Earth Kingdom! So explain to me WHY, why you dare show your face around here after your betrayal, after I specifically gave you another chance?!" Her eyes started to water, standing there with a cold, angry expression of which the likes Zuko has never seen her do so extremely before. Not even in the catacombs of Ba Sing Se did she look this ferocious.

He went into a crawling position before looking up at her. Zuko regretted looking up, straight at her face, because after seeing her expression it scared him. He's never been so scared of a girl before in his life, other than his sister. He was basically at the waterbender's mercy and he knew it. He looked away, his eyes starting to water as well. He was sad and angry at himself for being _this _heartbreaking to a girl he could've easily been friends with right now if he used his first chance wisely. Now, he can't even find the words to muster up how sorry he is to her and her friends. In his crawling position he put his head back down and began to clench at the dirt underneath his hands shakily before answering. "I'm so sorry…I wasn't supposed to do what I did. I was confused and, and misguided…by evil influences. Please listen…I have changed sides and now want to--"

As she stood there, hearing his words, she cried silent tears. Her lips quivered just a little bit at first but then got worse, not being able to stop it. She cut him off by bending his body onto the ground, so that he now lay on his stomach. She couldn't stand his pitiful lying anymore. He couldn't have come all the way here without trying to gain anything right? That's what she thought. Not noticing him still in under her power she clenched her hands roughly at the thoughts flowing in her mind. She heard a groan from him. She thought it was due to the force of pulling him down on ground. '_He deserves it for trying to deceive me again._'. She didn't notice what she was _really _doing to him.

Zuko laid flat down on the ground, feeling a nerve in his nose ready to burst. He tried gasping out in pain but instead all was heard was a measly groan from his throat. He started crying at his current pain and helpless situation. Any more tightly her hands would've clenched and she could pop one of his nose's blood vessels. She did not realize that she was listening to her emotions more than to her reasoning to see that he was in fact not lying.

"I'll never trust you again after what you did to us! I don't care what kind of _stupid _lie you're trying to make up now just so you can deceive us all over again, but this time it won't **work**!" Her tears started falling down her face like waterfalls. She drew her hands back in anger at her last word. That's all it took for her to cause him actual harm. She didn't realize how powerful her grudge can make her. Her body relaxed, and unconsciously to her, her power over his body once again gone.

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Yes guys, I HAD to end this as a cliffhanger. MWAHAHA!

If you really like this story, please review, don't just alert it or alert me. Same goes for my other fics. Thank you :)


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